Getty Museum
Office of the Dead
Creator
Master of James IV of ScotlandFlemish Illuminator · 1465–1541
All works by this person →Named for a remarkable portrait of the monarch James IV of Scotland in a devotional manuscript, the Master of James IV of Scotland was one of the finest Flemish illuminators active in the years around 1500. Over a period of more than forty years, the artist contributed to some of the most lavish and important manuscripts of the era, in addition to directing an active workshop. The illuminator's mi
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1510–1520
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold, and ink
- Culture
- Flemish
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Across from the miniature depicting the last rites and prayers at the deathbed, this illumination shows the Office of the Dead. In a small, private chapel adorned with heraldic banners, the deceased rests in a richly covered catafalque. Around him, hooded monks kneel during their devotions, members of the choir sing, and one monk passes out candles. Standing before the altar, the priest leads the service, the text of which appears on a panel illusionistically painted as if incorporated into the frame. The illuminator used the trompe l'oeil frame to separate spaces and to suggest simultaneous views of both the church's interior and its exterior and scenes above- and below-ground, including a subterranean chapel.
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